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Queen Latifah vows to stand by Jussie Smollett until she sees “definitive proof” that he orchestrated a racist and homophobic attack on himself.
In a new interview on the Yahoo News show “Through Her Eyes,” the actress and singer explained why she’s not adding her voice to the court of public opinion, which has already decided Smollett is guilty.
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“Until somebody can show me some proof otherwise, I’m going with him,” Queen Latifah told host Zainab Salbi. “The guy I’ve seen has always been someone who cares about people, who cares about others, and who’s very kind and who’s always been cool and sweet.”
The Grammy and Golden Globe winner appeared in a 2017 episode of Empire alongside Smollett, and she remains unconvinced that he conspired with two Nigerian-American brothers to orchestrate a racially-charged attack on himself on an icy-cold night early one morning late January in Chicago.
Smollett told Chicago police that he was attacked by two masked men who yelled racial and homophobic slurs at him, wrapped a rope around his neck and doused him with bleach.
By mid-February, investigators announced that new evidence had “shifted” the case and Smollett was charged with filing a false report related to the alleged attack.
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Queen Latifah, however, ain’t buying it.
“I hope everything works out in the end and basically everybody comes out unscathed,” she said.
Smollett, who maintains his innocence, was arrested and released last month after posting a $100,000 bond. He is due back in court March 14. In the meantime, he has been suspended from the rest of the season on Empire.